Influenza versus other respiratory viruses - assessing severity among hospitalised children, Belgium, 2011 to 2020.

BackgroundKnowledge on the burden attributed to influenza viruses vs other respiratory viruses in children hospitalised with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) in Belgium is limited.AimThis observational study aimed at describing the epidemiology and assessing risk factors for severe disease.MethodsWe retrospectively analysed data from routine national sentinel SARI surveillance in Belgium.

Spotlight influenza: Extending influenza surveillance to detect non-influenza respiratory viruses of public health relevance: analysis of surveillance data, Belgium, 2015 to 2019.

BackgroundSeasonal influenza-like illness (ILI) affects millions of people yearly. Severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), mainly influenza, are a leading cause of hospitalisation and mortality. Increasing evidence indicates that non-influenza respiratory viruses (NIRV) also contribute to the burden of SARI.

Monitoring of human coronaviruses in Belgian primary care and hospitals, 2015-20: a surveillance study.

Background: Seasonal human coronaviruses (hCoVs) broadly circulate in humans. Their epidemiology and effect on the spread of emerging coronaviruses has been neglected thus far. We aimed to elucidate the epidemiology and burden of disease of seasonal hCoVs OC43, NL63, and 229E in patients in primary care and hospitals in Belgium between 2015 and 2020.

Capturing respiratory syncytial virus season in Belgium using the influenza severe acute respiratory infection surveillance network, season 2018/19.

BackgroundRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of severe respiratory illness in young children (< 5 years old) and older adults (≥ 65 years old) leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to recommend the implementation of a dedicated surveillance in countries.AimWe tested the capacity of the severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) hospital network to contribute to RSV surveillance in Belgium.MethodsDuring the 2018/19 influenza season, we started the SARI surveillance for influenza in Belgium in week 40, earlier than in the past, to follow RSV activity, which usually precedes influenza virus circulation.

Clinical Management of Argentine Hemorrhagic Fever using Ribavirin and Favipiravir, Belgium, 2020.

We report a case of Argentine hemorrhagic fever diagnosed in a woman in Belgium who traveled from a disease-endemic area. Patient management included supportive care and combination therapy with ribavirin and favipiravir. Of 137 potential contacts, including friends, relatives, and healthcare and laboratory workers, none showed development of clinical symptoms of this disease.

Infections due to carbapenemase-producing bacteria, clinical burden, and impact of screening strategies on outcome.

Objectives: To characterize the risk factors, impact of screening, and clinical burden of colonization and/or infection by carbapenemase-producing bacteria (CPB) in hospitalized patients.

Method: Retrospective study in a tertiary care hospital between 2008 and 2016.

Results: Among 88 included patients, 41% were colonized, 59% developed an infection, and 69% of all cases were hospital-acquired.

A multicenter quasi-experimental study: impact of a central line infection control program using auditing and performance feedback in five Belgian intensive care units.

Background: We analyzed the impact associated with an intervention based on process control and performance feedback to decrease central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates.This study was conducted from March 2011 to September 2012 in five adult intensive care units (ICU) located in two Belgian tertiary hospitals A and B, with a total of 53 beds.

Methods: This study was divided in three phases: P1 (baseline), P2 (intervention) and P3 (post intervention).

Variations in catheter-related bloodstream infections rates based on local practices.

Background: Catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) surveillance serves as a quality improvement measure that is often used to assess performance. We reviewed the total number of microbiological samples collected in three Belgian intensive care units (ICU) in 2009-2010, and we described variations in CRBSI rates based on two factors: microbiological documentation rate and CRBSI definition which includes clinical criterion for coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) episode.

Findings: CRBSI rates were 2.

Rapid emergence and spread of OXA-48-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolates in Belgian hospitals.

During a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based surveillance study of β-lactam resistance, 19 OXA-48-positive enterobacterial isolates were detected at nine Belgian hospitals from January 2010 to April 2011. Most cases were presumed to have been locally acquired and were detected in patients who had not travelled abroad. Clonally related outbreaks occurred in two different cities.

Optimal management of HIV-infected women during pregnancy and delivery: an audit of compliance with recommendations.

Background: The improvement in quality of life of HIV-infected patients and a reduced risk of vertical transmission have led to an increase in the desire for pregnancy among infected women. We assessed whether local recommendations were followed by HIV-infected mothers and their reasons for noncompliance.

Methods: Data on HIV-infected women who delivered between 2002 and 2006 in a large public university hospital in Brussels were collected and analyzed for compliance with recommendations and outcomes.

Vertical transmission of HIV in Belgium: a 1986-2002 retrospective analysis.

Prophylactic interventions have lead to the reduction of the mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to less than 2% in industrialized countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes over time in vertical transmission according to the standard care of prophylaxis in the practice of a single large reference center and to identify the risk factors for failure. The rate of MTCT decreased progressively from 10% in 1986-1993 to 4.

Ovarian response to stimulation of HIV-positive patients during IVF treatment: a matched, controlled study.

Background: Our aim was to compare the ovarian response of HIV-positive and -negative patients during IVF.

Methods: Setting - HIV and IVF reference university hospital. Twenty-seven HIV-infected patients who had undergone IVF between March 2000 and March 2005 were matched with 77 HIV-negative patients for age, aetiology of infertility, whether it was primary or secondary infertility, duration of infertility, history of pelvic surgery and type of pituitary inhibition.

Tuberculosis in healthcare workers caring for a congenitally infected infant.

Objective: To assess the extent of nosocomial transmission of tuberculosis among infants, family members, and healthcare workers (HCWs) who were exposed to a 29-week-old premature infant with congenital tuberculosis, diagnosed at 102 days of age.

Design: A prospective exposure investigation using tuberculin skin test (IST conversion was conducted. Contacts underwent two skin tests 10 to 12 weeks apart.